Rank Hovis Milling finds success with KWS Siskin

6.7.18

Few varieties are able to match their performance in the flour mill or baking processes with that on farm, but KWS Siskin is doing just that. Due to its combination of barn-filling yield and robust disease resistance that has seen it earn a reputation as being a reliable, yet easy-to-manage variety among growers, it is proving to be equally versatile with end users.

Earlier this year, Rank Hovis Milling Ltd, one of the UK’s largest flour milling businesses, endorsed KWS Siskin’s reputation as quality wheat when it announced that it would expand its interest in the Group 2 variety . Large-scale milling trials showed that it performed well in certain grists .

At the time, Shaun Taylor, Technical Director of Rank Hovis Milling Ltd, explained that it was KWS Siskin’s ability to perform across a range of applications that prompted the announcement.

“This is an exciting development for Rank Hovis. We have been searching for a variety with the characteristics needed to complement specific, more demanding, baking processes. KWS Siskin has demonstrated it has the potential to fill these needs,” said Mr Taylor.

“At full milling specification KWS Siskin looks to be a useful variety as it performs extremely well in grists that are more rheologically demanding and, as such, has been uniquely placed in helping us to enhance the performance of certain flours. After such a promising performance it is clear that KWS Siskin will be a mainstay variety for us going forward while other work will consider its potential to contribute to other grists ,” he added .

Work so far has considered only KWS Siskin’s performance when grown at full Group 2 specification (13% protein) though further trials are underway to evaluate its suitability at the lower protein content of 12.5%.

David Mathias , National Wheat Manager for Rank Hovis Milling Ltd, acknowledged that for the company to secure samples at full Group 2 specification it would need to incentivise growers to go for the higher proteins.

“We are looking at what level of premium is needed to secure supplies, but it seems to be a variety capable of producing high protein of a functional nature in certain grists ,” said David Mathias .

This public endorsement gives further support to growers of one of the UK’s most popular varieties and completes what is a strong proposition of established end-user demand, good agronomics and excellent on-farm performance.